Shelton State women off to 20-0 start

TUSCALOOSA | After a win against Alabama Southern on Saturday, the Shelton State women’s basketball team is 20-0, its best start in school history.

By Marquavius BurnettSpecial to The Tuscaloosa News

TUSCALOOSA | After a win against Alabama Southern on Saturday, the Shelton State women’s basketball team is 20-0, its best start in school history.The Lady Buccaneers, ranked No. 6 in the country and 2-0 in the Alabama Community College Conference, use blitzing full-court pressure defense and a high-powered offensive attack to put opponents away early. And they never let up.So far this season the Lady Bucs are averaging 88 points per game and are shooting 45 percent from the field. Defensively, the team is allowing only 44 points per game and holding opponents to 33 percent field goal shooting. The Lady Bucs go 14 deep, with every player able to contribute something to the team’s success. Head coach Madonna Thompson said the team’s depth helps fuel its efforts on both ends of the floor.“When you’ve got that many talented players on one team, it’s a big plus,” Thompson said. “We haven’t been plagued by injuries either. So talent and health are what have us going so strong.”The Lady Bucs haven’t had a game decided by single digits all season, with their smallest margin of victory (10 points) coming against Itawamba Community College. They’ve scored 100 points twice and have held six opponents under 40 points. Thompson attributed both coaching and player mentality for the team’s hot starts to games.“We want to jump out on people,” Thompson said. “Our speed and intensity is tough for others to match. The great thing about us is that there isn’t much dropoff between our first group and our last group. Other teams can’t say the same.”A big part of the Lady Bucs’ success has been the development of center Brianna Lancaster. She leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 13 points and five rebounds per game.Lancaster is shooting 54 percent from the field and is an efficient 70 percent from the free-throw line. After she tore both her anterior cruciate ligaments (one in 2007, the other in 2011), Lancaster’s comeback was a shock to her teammates and coaches.Lancaster committed to Troy University on Thursday. Her commitment comes on the heels of Lady Bucs guard Sharin Rivers committing to The University of Alabama. Lancaster said the choice of going to Troy was an easy one after weighing her options.“I wanted to be close to home and I felt Troy was the best place for me,” Lancaster said. “I really love the coaching staff and I can’t wait to play on the Division I level. It’s always been a dream of mine.“I never thought this would happen after both of my injuries, but this truly has been a blessing for me.”